The NBA announced that national games on NBC/Peacock, Amazon Prime Video or ESPN drew more than 60 million viewers in the first month of the regular season.
National NBA games broadcast on NBC/Peacock, Amazon Prime Video or ESPN drew more than 60 million viewers in the first month of the regular season, the league announced Thursday, noting its highest opening total in 15 years.
That doesn't include the 2011-12 season, which opened on Christmas Day, traditionally one of the busiest days on the NBA calendar. However, it is a very positive sign for the league in the first four weeks of the season, as it is the first deal in an 11-year, $76 billion deal with its broadcast partners.
NBA content generated more than 30 billion views across league-owned and third-party social media platforms, a season high at this point. Merchandise sales on NBAStore.com are up more than 20%, the league added, with those numbers driven in part by what the league calls “next generation stars” such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Victor Vembanyama, Tyrese Maxey, Cooper Flagg, Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic.
According to the league, NBA League Pass subscriptions were up 10% and time spent watching games on the platform was up 8%.
And it's not just about the screens where good numbers are visible.
Arena attendance is currently at the same level as last season, which was the second-highest attendance in league history to date with approximately 97% capacity leaguewide. Thursday featured 10 teams whose home games have sold out this season: the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. Attendance for other teams, such as Atlanta and Charlotte, is up nearly 10% from last year.
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NBA AP: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA
